Federal police said five climate activists from the group Last Generation sat on the tarmac of Leipzig/Halle Airport in the middle of the night, while two other activists were prevented from doing the same, according to German news agency dpa. The activists were taken away at around 5 a.m.

The Last Generation protest follows protests last week at Cologne-Bonn Airport and then at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's busiest, which caused significant disruption to passenger flights.

Leipzig/Halle Airport is a major air transport hub. Airport spokesman Uwe Schuhart said air traffic was suspended for about three hours starting at 12:30 a.m.

The protests did not appear to have significantly affected passenger flights, which do not take off or land at night. The airport's website shows the first flight departed at 5:41 a.m., about 15 minutes late.

Police said the activists cut a hole in the fence surrounding the area, and they were arrested.

Last Generation is asking the German government to negotiate and sign an agreement to stop using oil, gas and coal globally by 2030.

Last month, the German cabinet passed a law imposing harsher penalties on people who trespass on airport property.

The bill, which still needs to be approved by lawmakers, would impose a penalty of up to two years in prison for those who knowingly encroach on an airport’s airspace, such as a taxiway or runway, endangering civil aviation. Currently, such encroachments are punishable only by a fine.

Ngoc Anh (according to AP, dpa)